Strong After Sandy

Hurricane Sandy’s landfall on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 was marked by record levels of storm surge in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, and tropical storm force winds impacted an area about 1,000 miles in diameter. A federal impact assessment in 2013 estimated that Sandy damages exceeded $50 billion, with 24 states impacted by the storm. In addition to the extensive loss of life, livelihood and property, the region’s natural areas were greatly impacted. National wildlife refuges suffered loss of habitat, refuge staff productivity and visitor opportunities. Rain washed out roads, trails and dikes, hindering habitat management and reducing visitor access. Storm surge left miles of debris and hazardous materials on beaches, in coastal marshes and forests, degrading habitat and endangering staff and visitors. High winds damaged buildings and caused power outages across refuge properties.

With the coming hurricane season set to begin on June 1, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service continues working hard with partners to enhance and strengthen coastal areas by restoring beaches, dunes and marshes, removing or replacing obsolete dams and damaged or undersized road culverts and building innovatively designed breakwaters and water control structures. These efforts are designed to benefit fish and wildlife resources, and at the same time protect people and communities from flooding and increased storm surge from future weather events.

Repair and Prepare

In May 2013 the Service received $65 million in initial Hurricane Sandy funding from the Department of the Interior, through the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013. Since then, the Service has been working extensively to make refuges safer and healthier for visitors and staff by cleaning up damage dealt to National Wildlife Refuges and upgrading facilities to withstand future storms.  Later that year the Service received an additional $102 million from the Act for 31 resilience projects which focus both on protecting coastal communities from flooding and future storms and addressing more long-term concerns, including sea level rise and preservation of habitat for vulnerable species.

Completed projects, those  in progress or projects that are projected to launch later this year include:

Before and after:
A coastal marsh area at New Jersey’s Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge just after Hurricane Sandy, and then about 18 months later after cleanup effort. Credit: Ryan Hagerty (before); Virginia Rettig (after)/USFWS.

Restoring Refuges: Since October 2013, the USFWS has removed nearly 500 tons of debris from beaches and coastal marshes at Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge and the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex, at the heart of Hurricane Sandy’s impact zone. Debris fields along the New York-New Jersey coasts have contained roofs, docks, boats, barrels, fuel tanks, drums and household chemicals, as well as a few items of interest. When completed, the debris cleanup will restore thousands of acres of coastal marsh habitat and provide visitors opportunities for safe and healthy outdoor experiences at these natural areas once again.

The Service and its partners moved 45,000 tons of sand over three weeks to restore Delaware Bay beaches in New Jersey just in time for horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds.Credit: Eric Schrading/USFWS.

Bringing Back the Beach: March of 2014 was a busy time on the Delaware Bay, where the Service worked with partner organizations to restore five beaches that were severely eroded by Sandy. In under a month’s time, 45,000 tons of sand were spread over storm-scoured shores, finishing just in time for returning horseshoe crabs to spawn. For migratory shorebirds like the red knot, which depend on horseshoe crab eggs to make it to the arctic, this was a lifesaver, and early reports on crab and bird rebounds have been very encouraging thanks to these efforts. Restored beaches will also add a layer of protection for coastal communities in New Jersey and promote recreational beach use and ecotourism.

 

The Service is installing backup and solar power systems at 18 locations across the Northeast region.

Power Up: Sandy knocked out power in 15 states where an estimated 6 million customers were still without electricity days after the storm hit. Some areas—including some national wildlife refuges—remained without electricity for weeks. In places where USFWS stations were already equipped with emergency, self-powered electrical systems, refuges served as invaluable resources to their surrounding communities during the blackout. To prepare for future storms and equip many more refuges to serve their own communities in a similar capacity, the Service has invested more than $10 million in backup and solar power systems at 18 locations that will assure auxiliary power during future emergencies. Where solar PV arrays are installed, facilities’ carbon output will be reduced and thousands of taxpayer dollars saved on annual refuge utility bills. Installation at most locations is expected to be in full swing by mid-summer.

 

Hail Cove, at the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland, is part of a $10 million living shoreline effort to restore coastal areas on the Chesapeake Bay. Credit: USFWS

It’s Alive: Funded projects in Maryland and Virginia are developing living shorelines in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, at places such as Martin National Wildlife Refuge’s Fog Point, and Hail Cove at the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge. These undertakings involve ongoing efforts to restore coastal habitat and native plant species, control erosion through dilution of wave energy and enhancement of submerged aquatic vegetation, and will provide flood mitigation in vulnerable communities. More than 25,000 feet of living shoreline will be constructed between the two projects, which collectively received more than $10 million of Hurricane Sandy resilience funding.

 

The Flock Process Dam, which poses a flood risk to both the Merritt Parkway and a major Amtrak rail line in Norwalk, CT, is one of many slated for removal as part of a region-wide effort to protect adjacent communities and restore natural river and stream connectivity. Credit: Steve Gephard/CTDEEP

Staying Connected: Across the Northeast there exist scores of aging, obsolete dams. Once vital parts of industrial communities across the region, these dams can be hazards to human safety and impediments to natural aquatic connectivity. Even before Sandy, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has overseen dam removals, and is now funding several more planned for dams in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. Dam removal projects can reduce flood risk from storm-swollen rivers and dam failure, restore access to spawning grounds for fish and eels and promote the return of natural sediment flow, which can help rebuild eroding coastline downstream.

 

Storm proofers: Preparing a New Jersey refuge for the next big event

Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge

When Hurricane Sandy hit at the end of October, 2012, the refuge staff at Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Basking Ridge, N.J., just 26 miles west of Manhattan’s Times Square, thought they were prepared. Winter hadn’t yet fully kicked in, and most of its buildings were equipped with generators that would provide backup power.

But no one expected that the severity of damage to the regional power grid would leave the refuge and general area without electricity for nearly two weeks. With numerous blocked roads and regional fuel shortages, trucks scheduled to deliver propane and diesel fuel were delayed, adding additional stress to an already difficult situation.

“We had to go as far as Pennsylvania to get fuel for the generators,” says refuge manager Bill Koch. “Some local gas stations that had fuel and the power to pump it were rationing at limits insufficient to our needs.”

A tree blown down by the storm falls on electrical power lines at the refuge. (Credit: David Sagan/USFWS)

Faced with the likelihood that there will be more frequent, intense storms like Hurricane Sandy in years to come, Koch and his staff have been planning and preparing the refuge for the next big one. Thanks to funding from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, a propane tank at the refuge’s visitor center will be replaced by a permanent natural gas pipeline that will feed furnaces and generators. Solar-powered systems will be installed at headquarters and the visitor center. A gas line and generators will also be installed at the refuge’s dormitory and one of the living quarters. These measures will assure both uninterrupted heat and emergency electricity for headquarters, the dormitory, staff housing and the visitor center.

A rooftop solar array similar to the one pictured here is being designed and installed at the Great Swamp visitor center, which will make its electrical system more resilient to future storms. (Credit: USFWS)

The headquarters and visitor center solar-powered systems will be installed on new metal roofs which will be more durable, longer-lasting and recyclable. A small diesel generator will be installed at a heated public restroom, to prevent the recurrence of frozen pipes.

“We are in the planning and design stage of doing everything we can to become more self-sufficient,” says Koch.

To learn more about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Hurricane Sandy recovery and resilience projects, visit our Hurricane Sandy Recovery page. For more about Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, click here.

Best of 2012: 3) Service prepares and responds to Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy impacted Service facilities from Maine to Virginia in late October. This photo is of Wells Beach in Maine.

We’re bringing in the new year with a look back at our milestones for 2012. Check back each day for featured events and activities from across the Northeast!

Hurricane Sandy began her tear up the east coast on October 29, 2012, affecting millions in her path. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took precautions to prepare for the superstorm and evaluate impacts to Service staff and facilities afterwards.

Refuge staff board up the Kettle Pond visitor center in Rhode Island to prepare for Hurricane Sandy.

Before the storm made landfall, national wildlife refuges, national fish hatcheries and other Service field stations prepared for the heavy winds, rain, flooding and erosion that were predicted. Field stations activated hurricane action plans before the storm hit by securing boats, equipment and facilities, lowered water levels in freshwater impoundments to prepare for coastal flooding and relocated staff if necessary. Additionally, several offices closed to the public until the storm passed and damage could be assessed. These measures kept preventable damages to our infrastructure to a minimum.

After the storm, the Service quickly established an incident command center in Philadelphia as a central base of operations for storm recovery. As part of the emergency response, 45 trained Service specialists were deployed to help clear downed trees, open trails and roads, or provide law enforcement support on refuges to ensure public safety. Agency employees also delivered equipment and fuel to areas lacking these resources after the storm. A Service-operated helicopter flew aerial surveys along the coast during the week after Sandy to document damages.

Sawyers clearing the road at Target Rock National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

The Service sustained an estimated $78 million in storm damages from Hurricane Sandy. After two storms impacted Service facilities and operations, Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy, the Service plans to rebuild impacted structures to be more resilient to future storms.

North Hollow Road culvert before Tropical Storm Irene (left) and after it was replaced with an open arch culvert (right).

The North Hollow Road culvert on Marsh Brook in Rochester, Vermont, blew out during Tropical Storm Irene. With funding from the National Fish Passage Program, the Lake Champlain Fish and Wildlife Resource Office worked with partners to replace emergency replacements with a single open arch culvert designed to pass future storm flows, sediment and debris. The replacement creates improved resilience for the road and native brook trout.

In Rhode Island, Hurricane Sandy washed out the only public road to Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge. The Service is working with the Federal Highway Administration and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to repair the road with structures that will help shield it against future storms.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hurricane Information Center